Riau elephants under threat

Riau elephants under threat

JAKARTA (JP): Amoi, a female adult elephant that died while
being relocated from the Keritang forest to Bukit Tigapuluh
National Park in Riau, undergoes an autopsy.

About 170 elephants found in the forest in 18 areas throughout
Riau, will be relocated to the park. Priority are given to
elephants living in 12 particular areas, including the Keritang
district where there are some 22 elephants.

The relocation project started in late July this year. In the
first operation, two of the captured elephants died during the
journey. However, in the next operation in August, two elephants
were successfully released in the park.

Amoi died on the way to the park in an operation conducted
from Sept. 3 to Sept. 11 during which two other elephants were
also captured.

Riza Marlon, an activist of Foksi, a Jakarta-based Forum for
Conservation of Indonesian Wildlife, who took part in the
operation, said he believed Amoi died from an overdose in the
tranquilizer shot.

Riza, a biologist by training, said he learned from workers in
charge of capturing the wild animals that three of seven captured
elephants have died since the operations began. He suspects
overdosage of tranquilizer the main cause.